Lithium Upgrade.

[Raul]

I know - but they can get hot and distort hence the idea was to show the ABS can take some punishment.View attachment 877099

This issue was caused by bad installation (of solar), so although rare it can be made to happen - The report concluded that if these had not been LiFepo4, but Lead the effect would have been catastrophic, rather than inconvenient!

There is a guy on YouTube, accidentally destroyed his 4 new cells by forgetting the charger on. The cells exceeded 3.7v and started swelling. He forgot to set the charger to the correct voltage, as he was doing first top balance. And I have seen some personally, swelled at prolonged 1C discharge, about 3-5mm each side and split the box. EVE grade B, never charged above 3.55v.

 

[Pausim]

Pausim. I believe you installed a lithium set up a couple of years ago on the compact line?.
Could I be cheeky and ask what route you used for the dc to dc charger cable so as to save me the hastle of pulling half the van apart to find a route through.

The dealer ran a cable underneath from the engine battery to the leisure battery compartment. I was just left with sorting out the B2B and disabling the split charge relay. Sorry not much help but it seems he thought going underneath was easier than pulling the interior apart.

 

[barsteward]

The dealer ran a cable underneath from the engine battery to the leisure battery compartment. I was just left with sorting out the B2B and disabling the split charge relay. Sorry not much help but it seems he thought going underneath was easier than pulling the interior apart.

Thats just the sort of help I need, Thanks

 

[Gaston aires]

It’s probably worth reading my post, Lithium update, it might help. Even now, 6 months on, it’s all working great without any problems.
Phil

 

[barsteward]

Has any one any experiance of these https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Ite...aXXshiqTa7CXU4X5q-q5EOhVvcZo9wexoCf_UQAvD_BwE

I'm trying to match the inverter to the battery, the majority seem to be either 2000w or 3000w this seems to be a desent qualty but the sale price ends today so need to make up my mind.

Les

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[Raul]

Have you checked the classifieds? I remember couple of inverters for sale.

 

[Lenny HB]

Better slow down.. you'll have nothing left for beer at the next rally !!!

Hope he is not coming south, he no like Southern beer prices, oh boy did he moan last year.

 

[Lenny HB]

Has any one any experiance of these https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Ite...aXXshiqTa7CXU4X5q-q5EOhVvcZo9wexoCf_UQAvD_BwE

I'm trying to match the inverter to the battery, the majority seem to be either 2000w or 3000w this seems to be a desent qualty but the sale price ends today so need to make up my mind.

Les

Depends what you are using it for, if for any electronic equipment I would stick with Victron, you get what you pay for with inverters and Victron are a good price balance of quality versus price.

You will get the best price for Victron with a Funster discount from

Offgrid Power Solutions

Offgrid Power Solutions We are specialists in LiFePO4 batteries & Victron Energy systems. We’re here to help build the best offgrid electrical systems so you can focus on your adventure without stressing about how much power you have left! Get in touch with us about how we can help

offgridpower.solutions

 

[tezza-alli]

Depends what you are using it for, if for any electronic equipment I would stick with Victron, you get what you pay for with inverters and Victron are a good price balance of quality versus price.

You will get the best price for Victron with a Funster discount from

Offgrid Power Solutions

Offgrid Power Solutions We are specialists in LiFePO4 batteries & Victron Energy systems. We’re here to help build the best offgrid electrical systems so you can focus on your adventure without stressing about how much power you have left! Get in touch with us about how we can help

offgridpower.solutions

Lenny do you know where to find our discount code or do you phone and give membership number?

 

[Lenny HB]

Lenny do you know where to find our discount code or do you phone and give membership number?

It comes up on their website asking Funsters to register for a discount, 10% including Fogstar batteries.
They stock a lot more than on their site so worth contacting RogerIvy or nigelivy if what you want is not listed.

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[tezza-alli]

It comes up on their website asking Funsters to register for a discount, 10% including Fogstar batteries.
They stock a lot more than on their site so worth contacting RogerIvy or nigelivy if what you want is not listed.

Thankyou

 

[Roger S]

Has any one any experiance of these https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Ite...aXXshiqTa7CXU4X5q-q5EOhVvcZo9wexoCf_UQAvD_BwE

I'm trying to match the inverter to the battery, the majority seem to be either 2000w or 3000w this seems to be a desent qualty but the sale price ends today so need to make up my mind.

Les

I have a 1500w invertor I bought from them about 6 years ago, it has been faultless and they are a very efficient company would highly recommend them. I am however going to remove the invertor and sell it on as I aim to fit a Victron Multiplus as it fits in with the other Victron toys.

 

[barsteward]

I have a 1500w invertor I bought from them about 6 years ago, it has been faultless and they are a very efficient company would highly recommend them. I am however going to remove the invertor and sell it on as I aim to fit a Victron Multiplus as it fits in with the other Victron toys.

Thanks I'm leaning toward the Victron as well as I too like my toys but the inverters are either 2000va or 3000va . decisions, decisions

Depends what you are using it for, if for any eappliances we could uslectronic equipment I would stick with Victron, you get what you pay for with inverters and Victron are a good price balance of quality versus price.

You will get the best price for Victron with a Funster discount from

Offgrid Power Solutions

Offgrid Power Solutions We are specialists in LiFePO4 batteries & Victron Energy systems. We’re here to help build the best offgrid electrical systems so you can focus on your adventure without stressing about how much power you have left! Get in touch with us about how we can help

offgridpower.solutions

Thanks, Lenny,
Perhap you can help me somore?
I am very limited in my understanding of all things electrikery so this is my train of thought. I haven't had anything mains in the M/h since I started so with this uppgrade I may as well take advantage of the extra conveniance an inverter could afford us.

I'm sort of reverse engineering, the battery being the limiting factor so 230ah is the most I can fit in. Fogstars info recomends a max 2500va inverter so it's more a case of what sort of appliances we could use for instance, we have no cooker so a microwave would be handy for quick meals etc.

I suppose I'm thinking along the lines of future proofing the instalation even if I don't actually use it at this momment in time.

 

[Lenny HB]

I'm sort of reverse engineering, the battery being the limiting factor so 230ah is the most I can fit in. Fogstars info recomends a max 2500va inverter so it's more a case of what sort of appliances we could use for instance, we have no cooker so a microwave would be handy for quick meals etc.

Knowing your van you can get a Fogstar underseat battery in your battery compartment and then fit another on top, I was looking at a 143 at Carthago City and measuring it for another Funster.

The limit on the inverter is due to the max current the battery can supply which is 200 amps, with 2 batteries this goes up to 400 amps.

As you noticed Victron rate their inverters correctly in va, just to confuse you the effective watts they can supply will depend on the power factor of the device connected.
the 2000 va is rated at 1600 watt but if you connected say an old fashion bar electric fire which is a purely resistive load you could use it at 2000 watts but most loads aren't like that. The 3000va is 2400 watts.

Have you considered an Air Fryer a much missnamed product as they are really a small fan oven, that what we plan on using in the new van, we don't like microwave cooked food, also an Air Fryeris a lot lighter.

I decided to go for a Victron Multiplus it is a combined inverter & charger, so that solves the Lithium charging. It's a clever bit of kit useful if you use EHU, if you are on a 6 amp hook up and want to use a 10 amp device the inverter fires up syncs with the mains and supplies the other 4 amps & when you have finished with the load it goes back to charging the battery.

I've probably just confused you Les so you had better go and have a lie down.

 

[barsteward]

Knowing your van you can get a Fogstar underseat battery in your battery compartment and then fit another on top, I was looking at a 143 at Carthago City and measuring it for another Funster.

The limit on the inverter is due to the max current the battery can supply which is 200 amps, with 2 batteries this goes up to 400 amps.

As you noticed Victron rate their inverters correctly in va, just to confuse you the effective watts they can supply will depend on the power factor of the device connected.
the 2000 va is rated at 1600 watt but if you connected say an old fashion bar electric fire which is a purely resistive load you could use it at 2000 watts but most loads aren't like that. The 3000va is 2400 watts.

Have you considered an Air Fryer a much missnamed product as they are really a small fan oven, that what we plan on using in the new van, we don't like microwave cooked food, also an Air Fryeris a lot lighter.

I decided to go for a Victron Multiplus it is a combined inverter & charger, so that solves the Lithium charging. It's a clever bit of kit useful if you use EHU, if you are on a 6 amp hook up and want to use a 10 amp device the inverter fires up syncs with the mains and supplies the other 4 amps & when you have finished with the load it goes back to charging the battery.

I've probably just confused you Les so you had better go and have a lie down.

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[Lenny HB]

By your last post I've definitely confused you, you need a longer lie down.

 

[barsteward]

 

[Raul]

Another plus for multiplus, it has a 4A provision to charge a secondary battery, like starter. This eliminates the need for a battery master, as it works with solar to, triggered by higher voltage differential. So if solar charges the hab battery and voltage is high enough 13.6v plus, the multiplus will pass some current to the starter, if you connect to the aux terminal.

 

[Outdoors Dad]

I fitted a fogstar 300a battery I use a votronic 350 mmpt it works a treat and has a separate output to put 1amp into your starter battery. I also fitted a Renogy 30amp dc-dc on advice from funsters to ensure battery is looked after. Dc-dc works a treat and works between 27-29.5 amps. I have recently fitted a 1000w Renogy inverter which works as should but I should of got the 2000w to enable more efficient cooking options.(I must of been pissed when I bought it) Battery setup works effectively and after a few trips you stop analysing the data and just enjoy your trips. The inverter is quite new and I'm undecided if it's of a great benefit to us?

 

[headlight]

Has any one any experiance of these https://www.sunshinesolar.co.uk/Ite...aXXshiqTa7CXU4X5q-q5EOhVvcZo9wexoCf_UQAvD_BwE

I'm trying to match the inverter to the battery, the majority seem to be either 2000w or 3000w this seems to be a desent qualty but the sale price ends today so need to make up my mind.

Les

I had one of their smaller inverters for 2 years with no problems.
Seemed quite good quality for the price.
I've just fitted one of their inverters in my sisters MH.
I've also had a solar panel off them.
Again fine and they, Sunshine Solar, seem good to deal with.

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[G1969]

Have you checked the classifieds? I remember couple of inverters for sale.

Yes mine

 

[Lenny HB]

Another plus for multiplus, it has a 4A provision to charge a secondary battery, like starter. This eliminates the need for a battery master, as it works with solar to, triggered by higher voltage differential. So if solar charges the hab battery and voltage is high enough 13.6v plus, the multiplus will pass some current to the starter, if you connect to the aux terminal.

But if you are going to turn off all charging and leaving the battery at 50 to 80% when not using the van the voltage is likely to be below the 13.6v threshold, so it looks like you would still need a Battery maintainer to keep the starter battery topped up.

 

[Raul]

But if you are going to turn off all charging and leaving the battery at 50 to 80% when not using the van the voltage is likely to be below the 13.6v threshold, so it looks like you would still need a Battery maintainer to keep the starter battery topped up.

In that scenario yes, as long as the batt maintainer can still charge when hab batt is at 13.1-13.2v

 

[Lenny HB]

In that scenario yes, as long as the batt maintainer can still charge when hab batt is at 13.1-13.2v

The Ablemail can be set to trigger at 13.0v.

 

[AdrianChen]

I was under the (wrong?) impression that the Multiplus II took any charge source and popped some of it out to the starter battery (up to 4amps), and that there is a diode to stop return current, so the output is 0.8v below the charge source.

So if the Solar was still active and as it's not charging the main batts because they are in storage/isolated, it would drop to say 13.4v (my float setting) very quickly, so the starter would see 12.6v at which point acceptance would be quite low.

I think the thing would work fine stopping the starter going flat, unless there was no sun for a few weeks over winter, but seems a bit of a blunt tool - and I couldnt find much info at the time we installed, so I chucked in an ablemail, set the higher output option (slightly knackered starter) and wired the ablemails SW2 to the load on the MPPT which I can switch on remotely if I want to give the starter a good charge for any reason.

But if I am wrong about how the MPII secondary output works, I've been a busy fool!

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[Raul]

I was under the (wrong?) impression that the Multiplus II took any charge source and popped some of it out to the starter battery (up to 4amps), and that there is a diode to stop return current, so the output is 0.8v below the charge source.

So if the Solar was still active and as it's not charging the main batts because they are in storage/isolated, it would drop to say 13.4v (my float setting) very quickly, so the starter would see 12.6v at which point acceptance would be quite low.

I think the thing would work fine stopping the starter going flat, unless there was no sun for a few weeks over winter, but seems a bit of a blunt tool - and I couldnt find much info at the time we installed, so I chucked in an ablemail, set the higher output option (slightly knackered starter) and wired the ablemails SW2 to the load on the MPPT which I can switch on remotely if I want to give the starter a good charge for any reason.

But if I am wrong about how the MPII secondary output works, I've been a busy fool!

That's my understanding to, first, I was under the impression this aux will only charge from EHU, but, in sunny conditions you can see the starter going up with the multiplus even off. The only link to the starter I have is the 4A auxiliary, so if the hab is climbing up enough and exceeds the 0.8v difference, then the starter gets a charge as well. Yes its blunt and needs solar. In my case this has served me well since 2019. My starter batt is in its 7th year, still performing the stop start fine. But, my van is always used, never in storage, and never stood more than 2 weeks max.

 

[Ian_H]

The Ablemail can be set to trigger at 13.0v.

That's how I have mine set.

 

[Lenny HB]

Les barsteward has gone very quiet.

 

[barsteward]

Les barsteward has gone very quiet.

Lenny
A week ago I thought my solar charger was a battery to battery charger which to a novice seems to make perfect sence, my solar charger when fiinished charging the leisure batteries trickle charges the cab battery.

I have spent umteen hrs trying to understand the error of my ways. The information from Nigel and Roger's channels is extensive and informative but at my age it's extreamly difficult to absorbe that information

I thought I was getting there and then you went and threw a smart victron inverter charger curved ball into the ring.
As per your advise I went and laid down and have only just come out of a self induced coma,

I know there are those who will say I haven't got a clue, and they 'd be right but the minute I stop trying is the time I lay in the box,

After saying all that I'm a tight Yorkshire nastid but with good reason we never got the same remuneration or ejucation watt suverners got.